Today at the gym I saw a guy take about a twenty foot fall, and hit the floor..............hard. He is an older guy. I have talked to him a few times. He just started climbing at the gym a month or so ago. He looks to be 65+, and in really good shape. He just doesn't seem to pay attention very well.
He was climbing on the auto belay, or thought he was. He got to a place where he was to wiped out to go any higher so he just let go thinking the auto belay would slowly lower him to the ground. Unfortunately he had never clipped into the auto belay. I happened to be facing his direction while belaying Brett, and saw him headed for the ground. He was about ten feet away. There was a terrible THUD, the sound of air being quickly expelled from his lungs, and then some moaning. I was belaying so I couldn't go to help him. Fortunately Gregg that works at the gym was right there, and went to his aid.
It wasn't long before they had him calmed down, ice on his apparently broken ankle, and the paramedics on their way. I talked to Gregg and he said that the climber who decked had been warned already about climbing without being clipped in. He was just to focused on climbing, and not enough on safety. So remember; "check your knots", and safety third.
Halloween 2010
15 years ago
1 comment:
I was climbing outdoors in Michigan last season when the guy right next to us grounded. I agree that it's a horrible thing to witness.
In that case, his belayer was a rookie and not familiar with the GriGri he was using. While lowering the climber, he panicked and pulled the lever to its full-open position. Zing, thud.
Fortunately the climber only dropped 15 or 20 feet, landed on a dirt pile, and in a way that the force of impact was pretty well distributed.
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